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Old 6th September 2016, 02:33 PM   #5
Ibrahiim al Balooshi
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Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE
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This is a very interesting topic since the deployment of spears on the battlefield was a well known tactic and weaponry of this nature was effective against horse and elephant. Indeed spear sword and shield were very effective weapons down at infantry level. The spear was not outmoded until fire arms were invented....even then the bayonet illustrates how much the infantry still relied upon the "spear"..
The European Partisan spear is virtually the same as many Asian variants particularly the Sri Lankan .. It is obvious that some kind of design drift/copy was evident though spears are an ancient form in those countries long before any of the European invaders. In the vanguard of these European armies were spearmen with Partisan spears. Please see http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=8187 However, there were many others..

Mughal Spears

The usual generic name used for spears of all kinds was sinan. The head or point was called the sunain and the butt the hunain. There were several varieties of this class of weapon. Cavalry troops generally used a lance (nezah) with other types of spear used by foot soldiers and guards surrounding the emperor's audience hall. There is also some evidence, particularly among the Marathas, for the use of a javelin or short spear, which was thrown.

Nezah A cavalry lance with a small steel head and a long bamboo shaft carried by nezah-bazan (lance-wielders), this weapon featured prominently in Maratha equipment with no enemy cavalry said to be able to withstand them. In battle some 20,000 to 30,000 lances were ranged against the enemy, packed closely together so as not to leave any space between the bearer's heads. If horsemen tried to ride the lance-wielders down, the points of their spears impacted with the oncoming riders, who were then unhorsed. When used during a cavalry charge, the nezah struck against the enemy's weapons, making so much noise that it frightened the opponents' horses such that they turned around and bolted. In normal use, a man on horseback held his spear above his head at the full length of his arm. Mainly used by cavalry; Material; Bamboo, Steel.

Barchhah A Mughal weapon also used by the Marathas. With a head and shaft made wholly of iron or steel, use of this heavy spear was confined to infantry as it would prove too heavy for men on horseback.
Mainly used by Infantry; Material; Steel.

Sang Made entirely of iron, this spear was much shorter than the barchhah although some exist that are 7.11 feet (2.17 m) long, of which the head accounting for 2.6 feet (0.79 m). The weapon possessed long, slender, three or four-sided heads, steel shafts, and had a grip covered with velvet.
Used by Infantry. Material Iron

Sainthi The shaft was shorter than that of the sang.
Selarah A spear with a head and shaft longer than those of the sainthi but not so long as those of the sang.
Ballam A spear, pike, or lance with barbed heads and wooden shafts and a total length of 5.11 feet (1.56 m), of which the blade took up 18 inches (460 mm). The Ballam was a short spear with a broad head.
Used by infantry. Infantry
Pandi-ballam A hog-spear with an iron leaf-shaped blade at the end of a bamboo shaft with a total length of 8.3 feet (2.5 m), of which the blade accounted for 2.3 feet (0.70 m).
Bamboo and steel or iron.

Panjmukh Five-headed spear used by the people of Gujarat Used in Gujarat
Lange A Mughal lance with a four-cornered iron head and a hollow shaft
Garhiya Pike, javelin, spear
Alam Spear (properly a standard or banner)
Kont Spear
Gandasa A kind of bill-hook or pole-axe with a steel chopper attached to a long pole.
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Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 6th September 2016 at 04:43 PM.
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